Speaker of the Parliament Mohamed Nasheed has praised the Maldives government's efforts to curb the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Speaking at Monday's Parliament session, the former president of Maldives said he sought information on the measures being taken by the government during the meeting held between the Social Affairs Committee and General Purpose Committee of the parliament on Sunday.
Along with the Speaker, several senior officials of the Parliament Secretariat took part in Sunday's meeting. Director General of Public Health Maimoona Aboobakuru attended the meeting on behalf of the Health Protection Agency (HPA), in addition to specialists from the authority and the Chief of Disaster Management Authority Hisaan Hassan. WHO's representative to the Maldives Dr. Arvind Mathur also participated in the meeting.
Referring to a survey carried out by HPA regarding the COVID-19 virus, Speaker Nasheed said the survey outlines three possible scenarios to control the pandemic. Nasheed said the measures being taken by the government in preparation for all three scenarios are strong.
"Last night, it was evident to us that the policies being followed by the government are strong. The controls being imposed currently are being implemented by taking possible future circumstances into account, and preparing for it. If strict measures are implemented, the sudden increase in positive cases can be avoided," said Nasheed.
Although Nasheed has commended the government's precautionary measures and other efforts to combat COVID-19, he has previously spoken against the entry restrictions imposed on tourists arriving from severely affected countries.
13 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the Maldives. All 13 people are foreigners, and no locals have been infected with the virus thus far.
